SSWI-229TP Ecomusicology

3 Credits

This course looks at the intersections of music, culture, and nature. We will explore music in nature, music about nature, and the nature of music in human experience. We will study how artists and musicians are using music and sound to address climate change by surveying important trends in the young field of ecomusicology. Topics include debates about music vs. sound, the cultural construction of nature, aurality, and the efficacy of sonic activism. Class sessions will feature Indigenous vocal practices, art music composition, music from the Arctic, soundscapes, field recordings, water sounds, birdsong, soundwalks, and musical responses to recent environmental crises.